Namwayut—
We Are All One.
As you read my own story, as I hope you will, you are witnessing me, and, in turn, opening yourself up to be witnessed.
G̱ilakas’la
Reconciliation has given me a gift, and therefore I want to give my own gift back to the world.
I have written a book called Namwayut. In the Kwak’wala language, this word conveys the deep understanding that we are all one. One common humanity. One connected whole.
In this book, I share my own journey from childhood surviving residential school to who I have become today.
In telling my own story, I expose my deepest vulnerabilities for a reason. I have felt succumbed to the darkness of trauma that many of us may feel, and I was able to rise above it. And so can anyone else who has emerged from trauma. And for the good people who just want to live reconciled lives, I hope that when they hear my story, they understand.
It is you, reading these words, who give me hope. It is you who give me inspiration. As you read my own story, as I hope you will, you are witnessing me, and, in turn, opening yourself up to be witnessed.
As we move forward, day after day, engaging with each other, we learn more about each other.
And that’s all it takes to start a journey of reconciliation.